While Silicon Valley may still be the technology and entrepreneur hub of North America and some say, the world, it’s shortsighted for investors, businesses and even consumers not to be looking to global pockets for innovation and new ideas.
Every year at South by Southwest (SXSW), the number of companies showing off their innovation outside the U.S. is growing and I’ve been impressed by start-up ideas coming out of Europe, Israel and more recently Korea and Chile.
Some are merely ramping up their presence in the states, whereas in other cases, governments are creating incentives to attract investment from abroad, such as the salary offers to engineers coming out of Qatar and the tax benefits for setting up shop in Ireland.
One country you may not expect on the list is Iceland, a country with a population of roughly only 320,000 people, two thirds of which reside in the capital city of Reykjavik.
The combination of my life in Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurial world and my travel writing brought me to an event in Reykjavik this year called Start Up Iceland, now in its second year. Started by serial entrepreneur, angel…

When I started travel blogging seven years ago, the profession didn’t exist. Canada’s Dave and Deb of ThePlanetD give the keynote at TBEX TorontoWhen I founded Breathedreamgo four years ago, I called Toronto’s first travel tweet-up and three women met for tea. When I went by MegaBus to the second TBEX, in New York City three years ago, I was amazed to see about 300 travel bloggers congregating. And Saturday morning at 8:45 am when I sat in the second row of a huge Metro Toronto Convention Centre Auditorium and stood up and looked back, I was too gob-smacked to take a photo: 1,300 people, a mammoth sound and lights show and an electric feeling of excitement in the air. Travel blogging has arrived, I thought, and it’s happening here, in my beloved city, Toronto!
I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was when Toronto won the bid to host TBEX 13; or how flushed with pride and satisfaction I was when David Whitaker, president of Tourism Toronto, gave credit to the Toronto travel blogging…

All Things D just held their 11th annual conference in Rancho Palos Verdes California in late May. Imagine a few hundred billionaire and millionaire game changers in a room at an oceanside resort, discussing the latest digital technology trends that impact a host of industries: from government, retail and consumer electronics to mobile advertising, digital TV and everything in between. It makes you wonder: Are we moving to a world that looks something like this?
Some of the trends and reccuring themes are not new this year, but they are more pressing as storage gets cheaper, bandwidth gets faster and it is becoming more common to program your home and tap into a mobile device for nearly everything we do.
How people think about things that were once a Star Trek-like discussion are now becoming reality: energy sources, Google Glass that brings virtual and augmented reality to life in more ways than one, electric versus gas powered cars, a trip to Mars if you have a bank account big enough to afford a ticket, wearable devices and how we will view what we now call TV in the next decade.…

I was given a complimentary trial of NewspaperDirect’s PressReader 3.1 and was blown away. I immediately thought of my father-in-law who lives in India but follows newspapers in the US, Europe and of course India from cover to cover no matter where he is in the world, and how I needed to get him a subscription.
I was very impressed with their publication offering: over 2000 digital replicas of newsletters from around the world, including the New York Times and the International Herald Tribune. And translation options.
The new PressReader is optimized for the retina display on new iPad screens which means that the text is super sharp and clear. Their SmartFlow technology enables you to easily view all the articles in a horizontal stream and to select and zoom in on the articles you want to read. It felt like a really clean and sophisticated reading experience.
And you can share, tweet, print or post an article to Evernote as an option. The app is free to download. The pricing options are USD 29.95/month for unlimited access or 0.99c per issue. Perhaps there is use for a hybrid option where you could subscribe to…

As a small business owner, you run the show on the go—so you rely on your smartphone for all those important details that make up your busy day. Ever worry some of those important pieces might be slipping through the cracks? From CRM to social media to scheduling, these great apps ensure you’re always in the right place at the right time with the right people—and with no disconnect from your day-to-day business operations.
Remember Every Note with EvernoteWhether you’re in a meeting, catching a cab, or taking a well-earned coffee break, Evernote has you covered when inspiration strikes. Sync photos, files, notes, videos, sound bites, to-do lists—just about anything—to this cloud-based junk drawer for easy, searchable access. Finally, you can have some fun collaborating on team projects, whenever, wherever. FREE. Available for iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone.
Know When They Work with WhenIWorkYour managers have plenty to do aside from the regular hassle of employee scheduling. The easy and intuitive WhenIWork app allows managers and employees to organize shift trades, manage time-off requests, notify stakeholders of important scheduling changes, and more. A simple “Do I work Tuesday?” text message produces an instant, automated answer, so your managers and

If you have ever wanted Yelp and OpenTable to merge then you will be happy to hear about Kuyam.
Kuyam is a new innovative online scheduling platform. Essentially it allows busy people to find and have lifestyle appointments booked in just a few clicks. Discovering anything from spa and hair salons, to health and exercise classes. There is even options to discovering tutoring and babysitting for the kidos.
Becoming a user is free, and after that you narrow down the service you want, what time you are available and how you plan on paying for it; then Kuyam does the rest. Rather than you making calls and discussing availabilities. Once your appoint is set it appears on a calendar on the Kuyam site. Appointments are easy to change, adjust, or cancel as needed.
A mobile app is on the horizon for Kuyam as well which will truly expedite the efficiency of a busy person’s day. Kuyam is working to make the connecting and discovering of local businesses easier than ever.
Photo Credit: Kuyam.com

I discovered (and used) an interesting new GPS app from a Lithuanian company when I was in Vilnius Lithuania recently.
They call it GooGPS, and the model is data for travel and tourism for visitors. Imagine a Samsung like tablet PC that is loaded with all the best of a city – main attractions, festivals, events, museums, churches, restaurants and hotels, that is light enough to hang around your neck while you meander through a new city.
Then, imagine along side of that data, you have access to all your social apps like Foursquare, Twitter and Instagram, a video camera for easy capturing and a browser to check email….all on a device that is connected 24/7 and limited for E10 a day.
UAB is a global pioneer that is successfully developing a new business model – rent of tablet PCs for travelers. These guys have created a set of programs called “interactive travel guide” that works with a modified Android operational system.
In the system which is within a portable 7-inch tablet, you have 3D navigational maps, connected to their controlled interactive guide with places of…

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Behind We Blog The World

Renee Blodgett is the founder and editor of We Blog the World, which was created in 2008. Renee has lived in ten countries and traveled to nearly 80, giving her a unique understanding and appreciation of international cultures. She is ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes and referenced in two renowned books on how social media is changing how we live our lives.

Since its launch, the site has grown organically across multiple online platforms. We Blog the World combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network, where independent voices capture the best cultural experiences, events, ideas and stories for the discerning, educated and savvy globetrotter.

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